


Crossing the Stars

by Foxrox12, Kattythingz



Series: I Dream of Stars [1]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Ghosts, Astronerd Danny, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Dorks in Love, Drama, Fluff and Angst, Gay Panic, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, Jock Phantom, M/M, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Overprotective Sam Manson, Overprotective Tucker Foley, Panic Attacks, Phantom is Gay Mess, Pitch Pearl, Romance, These boys need to get their shit together, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but Danny likes (loves) him anyway, cursing, just one but like, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-23
Updated: 2020-04-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23809072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Foxrox12/pseuds/Foxrox12, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kattythingz/pseuds/Kattythingz
Summary: Kwan sighed. Again. That was the standard response when it came to Phantom’s hopeless crush on the equally hopeless Fenton. “How is it that you can flirt your way into ladies’ hearts, and yet you can’t even gather the balls to ask out your crush?”“Because Danny isn’t some random girl, Kwan!” Phantom pointed an accusing finger at him, “besides, that’s easy for you to say. You haven’t seen him up close. He’s so… so cute, I forget everything I was gonna say!”OR: Jock!Phantom is hopelessly pining after Astronerd!Danny. Throw in a little stargazing, fluff, and petty Drama, and you got yourself the perfect high school romance.
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Danny Phantom
Series: I Dream of Stars [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1720327
Comments: 18
Kudos: 144





	1. Stars in Your Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back with another fic, and this time I bear allies! I spent 16 hours writing this monster and I regret nothing, but this would have never come into existence without @foxrox12. We created the idea together, and they helped me with the finer details along the way. Without them, the details would be missing and the story would be choppy, so kudos to you partner!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM.

Jocks are said to be cool, with their large build, high status, and A-list friends. They _are_ cool, and Casper High can collectively agree that the local star of the football team, Phantom, was that and more. He wasn’t as large as his fellow jocks, with a lean body rather than a bulky one, but he didn’t need to be in order to own the field whenever he joined the game. Phantom was a mystery, but he was a _cool_ one, and that was all that mattered.

But were they to see him now, the illusion would shatter in seconds.

“How does he look so pretty without even trying?”

A sigh.

“Phantom, you need to get your crap together and ask him out, I cannot keep watching pine after Fenton like a lovesick puppy.”

That’s right. Number one jock of Casper High and he was pining after _Danny Fenton_.

Phantom gave him an indignant look. “And embarrass myself as I make a fool of myself? No way, man.”

Kwan sighed. Again. That was the standard response when it came to Phantom’s hopeless crush on the equally hopeless Fenton. “How is it that you can flirt your way into ladies’ hearts, and yet you can’t even gather the balls to ask out your crush?”

“Because Danny isn’t some random girl, Kwan!” Phantom pointed an accusing finger at him, “besides, that’s easy for you to say. You haven’t seen him up close. He’s so… so _cute_ , I forget everything I was gonna say!”

“Well, if you don’t do something, that Goth friend of his will, so…” Kwan shrugged.

Phantom groaned. “Well, I can’t just ask him out! That would be weird and out-of-nowhere, and I don’t wanna put him on the spot. I need to smooth the idea in, you know?”

Kwan nodded, not really listening. Any friend of Phantom has heard this same exact rant a hundred times, so this wasn’t exactly progress.

“Speaking of ideas, how’s your astronomy assignment going?” Kwan remembered Phantom was having trouble with that, something about sketching one of the constellations and writing a short essay on the myth behind it…

“Don’t remind me,” Phantom scowled. “I don’t even remember why I chose to take that stupid class.”

“It can’t possibly be because of your big fat crush on Fenton,” He rolled his eyes.

“Hey, don’t mock me! I am suffering enough as it is, I don’t need your mockery to add to my load.”

That’s when an idea struck Kwan, and while he didn’t particularly like playing matchmaker, it was the only way to put them all out of their misery. “Why don’t you ask Fenton for help? Isn’t he obsessed with space or something?”

An uncertain look crossed Phantom’s face. “I don’t know, wouldn’t it be weird?”

“It’s just homework help, stop overthinking this,” Kwan groaned. “You get to finish the assignment _and_ talk to Fenton. It’s a win-win.”

Phantom considered this. When he’d complained about that, he was just doing it for the sake of complaining. He could easily get it done by himself, but what if Kwan was right? This was the perfect opportunity to get close to Danny under the guise of a normal non-suspicious school activity.

He nodded to himself, unaware of his friend’s hopeful gaze that basically screamed ‘just say yes!’ Mind made up, he said to Kwan, “You’re right, this is the perfect opportunity! Thanks, man!”

He sprinted off before Kwan could respond.

Kwan shook his head, staring after the dust trail that used to be Phantom. “And people call _me_ clueless…”

* * *

Phantom spent all of first block ignoring his teachers as he thought of what to say when he inevitably confronted Danny. He absent-mindedly doodled as he considered this, going through all the different scenarios, ranging from suave flirting to shameless begging. Logically, he knew none of those would work on Danny, but logic always escaped him when it came to his crush. This was just… rehearsal.

(No amount of rehearsing will stop him from embarrassing himself, of course.)

The sound of the bell snapped him out of his daze. It was the lunch bell, which meant it was the perfect time for him to talk to Danny. With all the grace of a toddler, Phantom stuffed his things into his bag and attempted to slow his sprint into a natural pace. He couldn’t afford to look any more ridiculous if his predictions of embarrassing himself were accurate. Besides, he had a reputation to uphold.

When he neared his locker, his feet locked in place. Standing next to his locker was the object of his affections and musings. While Phantom would like to entertain the thought that Danny was waiting for him, he knew that was but a mere fantasy. Still, it always brought a smile to his face when he remembered Danny was his locker buddy.

He made move to walk to his locker when a flash of obnoxious blond stopped him. An obnoxious blond that was making its way toward _Danny_.

“Hey, Fentoad, where are your loser friends?” Dash bellowed, his voice like nails to a chalkboard.

Phantom liked to pride himself in knowing Danny’s body language (via staring at him for hours on end), so he immediately noticed the small flinch that Danny tried to hide.

“H-Hey, Dash,” Danny started. “T-They’re not here now, so, uh-”

“What, they finally ditch you for the cooler crowd? I can’t blame them, I’d ditch you too If I were them.” Dash’s grin might’ve been plain annoying to Phantom, but to Danny, who was pretty much the bottom of the social hierarchy in Casper High, it was a warning.

Danny clenched his fists. “Yeah, well, you’re not them so-”

“What was that? Was that _backtalk_? Guess I haven’t beat in the lesson yet if you still have it in you,” he punched his open palm menacingly. “Wanna say that again?”

Danny audibly gulped, the fear blatant in his eyes, and that’s when Phantom snapped into action.

“Hey, Dash, shouldn’t you be running home now crying to your momma about that D you got in math?” Phantom remarked loudly, making sure everyone within the vicinity heard him.

It was truly a sight to behold as a furious red colored Dash’s face. He snarled, ignoring the snickering crowd, “Stay out of this, Phantom! This is between me and Fentoenail here.”

Phantom stepped closer, making sure to keep Danny hidden from sight. “No, the way I see it, big bad Dash Baxter is so wimpy, he needs to beat up _defenseless_ nerds in order to prove his own manliness.”

That got a laugh out of the bolder people in the crowd, and Phantom noted that Kwan was one of them. Kwan had long since ditched Dash after he realized he was a bully in his free-time.

“You think landing a few touchdowns means you’re some hot shit?” Dash hissed. “Because I’ll be happy to prove you wrong.”

“I’m sure you would,” Phantom hummed, poker-faced as he pretended to observe his nails. “But we both know who would win. Unless you mean to tell me _you’re_ the one that landed six touchdowns last night?”

Dash was shaking, and whether from anger or humiliation, Phantom didn’t care to know. All that mattered was that he got to watch as Dash tried to retrieve his honor. “Your reputation’s _dead_ , Phantom. What’ll the school say when they find out you’re defending the lowest of the low?”

“It would say _you’re in a world of trouble_.”

Dash jumped as he turned to see Mr. Lancer’s approaching figure. “Mr. Lancer, I was just-”

“ _Bullying_ a student in the middle of an open hallway. My office, _now_.”

Dash opened his mouth to argue but fell flat at the teacher’s stern unflinching gaze. No amount of favoritism can get him out of this, Phantom thought, satisfaction deep in his gut as he watched Dash stomp behind the teacher, entirely ignoring his ‘threatening’ glare.

When the two were finally out of sight, Phantom turned to the reason the fight, if you could call it that, had started. Danny looked painfully confused, and a little nervous, too, and his baby blues screamed wariness. He had good reason to be wary of him, he was a jock, too, after all, but the skepticism still hurt a small part of him.

“Sorry about him,” Phantom tried for a gentle smile. Now that the high of the moment was gone, Phantom had no idea what to say. “He… didn’t hurt you, did he?”

Stupid! You were right there, you _know_ what happened!

As Phantom was bemoaning his own stupidity, Danny took the chance to observe his savior. Danny had always liked Phantom, in the sense that he wasn’t like the rest of the A-listers, of course, but a small part of him always worried that he’d conform to those around him. It would seem his worries were misplaced because Phantom had just protected him from _Dash_ , practically the second most popular guy in school.

He couldn’t help but smile, sending Phantom’s brain to a screeching halt. Danny was smiling. At him. Danny was smiling at him! “I’m fine, thanks to you.”

Phantom scrambled to form a coherent response. “I-It was nothing, but you’re welcome.”

God, could he sound any _more_ condescending?

Danny nodded, unsure of what to say. An awkward silence settled between.

Finally, Danny opened his mouth to end… whatever this was. That was when Phantom remembered the entire reason he’d sought out Danny in the first place.

“Canyouhelpmewithmyastronomyhomework?”

It was blurted out in a single breath, and Danny had to slowly replay the words in his head to understand. Phantom… wanted _his_ help with? Not one of his A-list friends?

Danny’s head was reeling, and his silence sent _Phantom’s_ head reeling, too. Oh, god. He messed up. He messed up horribly! He wasn’t supposed to blurt it out like that, like he was some sort of _dork_.

“I-I just heard that you were good at it, is all! So, I figured you could help me because I’m a total zero at astronomy!” Phantom forced out a nervous laugh at the end. He messed up _bad_.

This was when Danny would turn down his offer for sure. I mean, who would want to help after being asked in such a stupid dorky way-

“Sure thing,” Danny smiled. “When and where?”

“Huh?” He uttered, sure he was hearing things. Had Danny just said ‘yes’?

“When do you want to meet up? We can do it at my place, my folks won’t mind,” Danny clarified.

“Oh, uh, does today after school work?”

That’s too sudden, Phantom! What the hell is wrong with you?

“That works with me. I didn’t have any plans today anyway,” He shrugged. Maybe he was being too calm about this, but after the display he’d seen earlier, he figured Phantom was genuine enough. Besides, he knew him before he even became a jock. Phantom hadn’t changed a bit, he just… buffed up.

Phantom almost did a happy dance, but he controlled himself long enough to ask, “So, uh, meet you outside after school?”

Danny nodded. “Yeah.”

“Cool.”

They stood in silence for another minute. Danny, realizing this was getting nowhere, cut in, “Look, I gotta get to my friends now, but I’ll see you later.”

“Y-Yeah, later.”

It was only after Danny was out of sight did he allow himself to fist pump the air with a victorious “YES!”

Phantom spent the rest of the day on cloud nine, bouncing his legs impatiently as he waited for the final bell to ring. As soon as it rang, he was out the door.

He probably looked stupid with the way he was speed-walking, but he was a man on a mission, and he couldn’t delay it any further. When he made it out, he noticed Danny wasn’t there yet. A part of him worried Danny might’ve forgotten, but no, Danny wasn’t that kind of person.

After what felt like an eternity, Danny finally appeared with his two friends by his side. They noticed him standing there, and Phantom waved awkwardly at them. The girl said something to Danny that he couldn’t hear, and a brilliant blush adorned his face. Danny said something in response and waved his friends goodbye, making his way toward Phantom.

He was suddenly nervous, his hands sweating and his stance awkward. He tried to play it cool, but it seemed he was failing if Danny’s amused expression was anything to go by.

“You ready to head out?” he asked.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Danny nodded.

And that’s how Phantom found himself in his crush’s room, unable to stop himself from observing his surroundings. The walls were a soft blue, and plastered all over them were posters that were predominantly NASA and space-related. There was the occasional Dumpty Humpty poster, too. There were multiple rocket models strewn across the different surfaces of the room, some were even strung to the ceiling. More interestingly, there were what looked to be glow-in-the-dark stars messily stuck to the ceiling as well.

Phantom smiled at the cuteness of it all. He really was an astronerd.

Danny noticed his smile and nervously explained, “I, uh, _really_ like space. Sorry.”

“So the rumors are true?” Phantom grinned. “Don’t worry, it’s cu-”

He caught himself last minute.

“It’s what?”

Shit, what sounded like cute? “Curated! That’s what I meant to say.”

He wanted to facepalm. Loudly. What the heck was that? _Curated_?

“Um, thanks?” Danny wasn’t sure what to say to that. He almost thought Phantom was going to say something else, but he wouldn’t. Why would he call his room cute? You idiot, Fenton.

“So, the assignment?” he cleared his throat, trying to stay on topic.

Phantom nodded quickly, eager to avoid any further embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m not really sure where to start. There’s just… a lot to pick from, I guess?”

Why was he trying to explain himself? Oh, right, because he’s supposed to be ‘clueless’.

Danny smiled, “You have no idea.”

Phantom almost forgot what he was here for. Focus. Assignment. He coughed, “Anyway, can you help? Some of their stories were really vague, so google hasn’t helped me much.”

“Of course, I can,” Danny laughed. “You think all these astronomy books are for show?”

Danny opened his mouth, and suddenly an ocean of jargon was flying right over his head. Phantom tried to focus on the information, he really did, but it was kind of hard to focus on something so insignificant when he saw the way Danny’s entire face lit up, from his pink cheeks to his glowing smile. But most notably, to Phantom at least, was the way his blue eyes literally sparkled, his passion clearer than any morning sky he’s ever seen, like there wasn’t a single cloud in sight. Just endless, beautiful blue.

Phantom felt his cheeks go warm the longer he watched. Almost subconsciously, his eyes trailed down from his eyes to his lips, and they stayed there for a minute too long. His head felt numb.

“-tom? Phantom!”

He blinked as he landed back in reality. He glanced up at Danny and saw that he frowning slightly, which border-lined a pout. “I knew it, I’m boring you, aren’t I?”

“Wha- No! You’re not boring me at all!” He denied vehemently. Danny blinked at his eager response, confused beyond measure. Phantom looked sincere enough, it was kind of hard to lie with honest eyes like those (not that he stared long enough to know that or anything). But he’d zoned out. It had to be because he was bored out of his mind.

“I’m sorry,” Danny sighed. “Sometimes I go off on a tangent and don’t stop until someone interrupts me. I didn’t mean to bore you with all this information.”

“I said it’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Phantom repeated. So he went on tangents like normally? He was almost tempted to trigger another one with how beautiful Danny looked when he was talking. “Wait, people just interrupt you?”

“Uh-huh,” Danny nodded. “In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hard to stay on earth for me.”

“But that’s still rude,” he frowned. “How are you okay with that?”

“Nobody wants to listen to a nerd talking a mile a minute about random space facts no one asked about, it’s a normal response.” He shrugged. “I know my friends mean well, so it doesn’t bother me.”

“I want to listen.”

As soon as the words left his lips, Phantom immediately wanted to take them back and shove them in the deepest corners of his mind. His brain was screaming, _why would you say something so cheesy?!_

Unaware of Phantom’s predicament, Danny’s cheeks lit up a bright red as the words repeated in his head. What was that supposed to mean? Phantom looked just about ready to bolt out of the room and drown in his own embarrassment, and Danny only knew that because he’s seen that look in the mirror.

Which meant Phantom was definitely being sincere.

Helplessly, Danny smiled. “Thank you.”

Phantom could only nod, his throat suddenly feeling very dry. He wished, deep down in his heart, that Danny wore that expression every time he looked at him. He wanted to be the only person in the world that could see this raw emotion.

The day flew by, and before he knew it, Phantom had to go home. He so badly wanted to stay and just listen to Danny talk about the stars, but he couldn’t. The day was over, and this was probably the only chance he’d ever get to get close to his crush, or as close as he _could_ get.

Phantom heaved a sigh as he opened the front door, and that’s when Danny suddenly shouted, “Phantom, wait!”

He paused, secretly glad he could get another second with Danny. “What is it?”

“I, um…” Danny mumbled something he couldn’t hear, and then, loudly, “There’s gonna be a meteor shower this Sunday. Do you… want to come with me?”

It felt like a fresh breeze had swept into the room, taking away his sour mood from just a moment ago. “Definitely! I mean, yeah, sure.”

Danny’s shoulders sagged, but before Phantom could read more into it, he was smiling and bidding him goodbye.

Phantom let him lead him out, not really there at the moment because _holy crap, Danny just asked me out on a date_.

Now he was _definitely_ on cloud nine.

* * *

Phantom spent the rest of the week giddily awaiting Sunday. Danny asked him out on a date! He couldn’t believe it. It was too good to be true. He’d dreamt this day would come one day, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon!

And then Sunday came, and with it, his dreams crashed to the ground.

Because Danny wasn’t waiting for him alone, he had his friends with him. Friends that looked positively shameless as they gave him a judging look.

He could’ve sworn he heard his heart drop to the ground. The looks Danny’s friends were giving him only added to the dirt being stomped on it.

“Hey, Phantom!” Danny’s smile has never pained him more. How could he have fooled himself like that? Of course, this wasn’t a date. What was he thinking? Why would Danny magically develop feelings for him?

Trying to maintain a happy image, Phantom returned the greeting. Danny gave him a strange look, and a small shard of his broken dream whispered, _he knows you’re upset_.

 _Shut up_ , he told himself.

“Is everything-?”

“I’m fine,” Phantom interrupted him.

He immediately regretted it when he saw the hurt expression on his face. Great going, Phantom, you did the one thing you said you wouldn’t do. Why did the universe keep fucking with him today?

“Sorry,” he sighed. “Just… a bad day.”

“It’s fine,” Danny meekly responded.

 _No, it’s not_ , he wanted to argue, but he kept silent.

Phantom was about to say something but he was interrupted when the girl loudly said, “Hi _,_ I’m Sam Manson, Danny’s _best friend_.”

Her smile was sharper than the knife his mother used to cut meat, and it had Phantom gulping as he realized her emphasis was most likely an ill-concealed threat. He was hoping the boy would smooth this out, but that dream was crushed too when the boy said, “Hey, Tucker Foley, _master hacker_.”

Yeah, he was _so_ dead.

Danny, amazing, sweet Danny, remained oblivious to his friends’ unspoken threats. He cut in with a large smile, “Come on, guys! It’s about to start!”

Phantom watched as his potential killers’ faces relaxed, their eyes speaking volumes of the tight bond between them. Great, not only did he hurt his crush, but he also managed to consecutively piss off said crush’s very scary best friends.

He sighed. His disappointment was his own fault. He shouldn’t have assumed Danny would immediately reciprocate his feelings. He was being beyond selfish right now. He opened his mouth to apologize to Danny, but he was already gone, setting up the picnic blanket along with a basket of what looked to be gummy bats and worms.

It was adorable, and Phantom could literally feel his heart squeeze.

“Phantom, over here!” Danny called from his perch on the blanket.

Phantom walked toward the blanket, and, at Danny’s gesture, sat down, leaning on his arms as he spread out his legs. He glanced at Danny, waiting for a moment to speak up, and saw that he was lying down on his back with his arms pillowing his head. His eyes never left the stars above them.

They sat in silence for a while, and while Danny looked to be comfortable, Phantom was anything but as he fidgeted under the weight of the glares and his own guilt. Finally, he pushed himself to speak.

“Listen, Danny-”

He didn’t finish what he wanted to say because as soon as he started speaking, there was a flash of something dashing across the wide black above them. Then another. And another.

In wondrous harmony, star after star traveled across the sky, showering them with a brilliant display of what could only be described as a miracle. Phantom couldn’t silence his awed gasp, unable to tear his eyes away from the beautiful sight.

He’d never seen anything like it.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Danny’s hushed voice whispered.

Phantom could only nod in response, unable to form the right words. He turned to Danny, an apology ready to spill from his lips, but paused when his eyes fell on Danny. More specifically, the way his bright blue eyes, so wide with awe and wonder, reflected every star above them like a mirror as they shone brighter than any shooting star he’s ever seen. His lips were parted in blatant awe, and his face held the most peaceful expression he’s seen on Danny yet.

If beauty could be portrayed in a person, then this was exactly it and so much more.

Soon enough, the shooting stars were gone, leaving behind an endless sea of glowing stars that shone like a million fireflies in the sky. Phantom could feel his very soul giving into the view, the _beauty_ , above them.

A comfortable silence fell on them, so unlike the deafening silence of his guilt from earlier.

Danny’s voice, now soft and so _raw_ , filled the silence. “I used to stargaze like this every night when I was a kid. When I first laid my eyes on the stars, on a meteor shower just like this, I knew, deep in my heart, that this was what I wanted. I wanted to learn more about space, to be able to swim in its vast sea. Something about space, the way it holds so much mystery yet so much beauty at the same time…it amazed me, and it still does today every time I look at the stars.”

Phantom listened in silence. He absorbed every word, taking in the way Danny never took his eyes off the stars, the way his eyes told an entire story of wonders and dreams. In the face of such raw honesty, what could he say?

He leaned his head back, sighing softly. Danny had told him about his dreams, so maybe, in return…

“When I was a kid, I had a best friend,” Phantom started softly, his eyes returning to the sky. A sense of peace settled warmly into his chest, egging him on. “We did everything together, from learning the alphabet to learning how to ride a bike. It felt like nothing could come between us, and for a while, that remained true.”

Danny caught the tremble in his voice, but he didn’t say anything, waiting for Phantom to finish. He knew better than anyone that sometimes, all you needed was for someone to _listen_.

“One day,” he paused, his fingers shaking slightly. “One day, her house caught fire.”

Any and all wonder left his eyes as he realized the implication. Oh, god.

“She didn’t make it,” Phantom whispered. “I was there when the firemen arrived, trying to take out the fire and save her and her family. They… they didn’t make it in time.”

“Phantom,” Danny uttered softly, sitting up.

“Back then, all I wanted to be a superhero. I wanted to wear a flashy outfit with a billowing cape and fly through the air, I wanted to _help_ people any way I can. I imagined I’d have these cool superpowers, like hand lasers and creating ice out of thin air. But that day…that day, I realized something. Superheroes don’t exist.”

Danny wanted to comfort him, to hug him or hold his hands and tell him that everything was okay, but that was a lie. His realization, no matter how cynical, was the reality of life. He tried to hold back the tears in his eyes, his heart breaking when he heard a sniffle come from Phantom.

Suddenly, Phantom continued, “Superheroes don’t exist… but normal, everyday heroes do. That day, as I was watching the firemen scream orders, trying _everything_ to save one family in a billion, I realized that these men, even without superpowers, were the real heroes. They never stopped trying until they _knew_ it was too late. And I knew right then and there, that was the kind of hero I wanted to be.”

Something squeezed at Danny’s heart, an indiscernible emotion that he couldn’t name at the tip of his tongue. His heart was racing, but his mind was strangely at peace. Slowly, Danny scooted closer to the shivering body of Phantom.

Phantom jumped when he felt a weight settle on his left shoulder, and when he turned, his heart skipped a beat as he realized it was Danny, resting his head on his shoulder, trying to offer him support in any way he can.

Phantom smiled, his eyes wet as his emotions circled back and forth until they settled on something warm and tender, something he never wanted to part from.

He almost jumped when he heard Danny whisper, “You’ll be an amazing hero, I know it.”

He choked on something between a laugh and a sob, his face twitching before the tears finally fell. Danny remained a silent comforting weight on his shoulder, grounding him as Phantom let loose all his tears and all his emotion.

There was no one to speak of what happened except for two boys and the vast, endless stars above them.

And between all the tears, all the dreams broken and found, a palpable bond forms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get too comfy folks >:)


	2. Nebulae in Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Guys, seriously, just drop it,” he groaned. “Why do you keep insisting that it was a date? It was just hanging out, and you guys were there as witnesses!”
> 
> “Yeah, witnesses to your goo-goo eyes,” She rolled her eyes.
> 
> “I so did not give him goo-goo eyes!” 
> 
> A beat.
> 
> “Oh my god, please tell me I didn’t give him goo-goo eyes.”
> 
> OR: Danny is about to learn exactly why you should avoid high school drama, with a dabble of angst, best friends, and obliviousness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: There is a PANIC ATTACK at the end of the chapter right after the Big Moment, so tread carefully. I've only ever experienced ONE panic attack in my life thus far, fortunately, so my description might not be accurate. 
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM.

“Danny?”

Silence.

“Earth to Danny!” Sam waved her hand in front of her friend’s face, but he didn’t even blink. Sam sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Time for a last resort technique...

She pinched him. Hard.

 _That_ got a response out of him as Danny yelped loudly. They got strange looks from the students left in class, but that was the last thing on Danny’s mind as his fogged up brain finally cleared, revealing his two concerned friends, frowning at him in annoyance.

“I did it again, didn’t I?”

“Man, I have never seen you so out of it, not even when you got your first telescope!” Tucker remarked. “From the way you’re acting, you’d think it was a da-”

“It was _not_ a _date_!” Danny repeated for the third time that day.

Sam gave him an unimpressed stare. “You keep telling yourself that, Danny.”

“Guys, seriously, just drop it,” he groaned. “Why do you keep insisting that it was a date? It was just hanging out, and you guys were there as witnesses!”

“Yeah, witnesses to your goo-goo eyes,” She rolled her eyes.

“I so did not give him goo-goo eyes!”

A beat.

“Oh my god, please tell me I didn’t give him goo-goo eyes.”

“I wish we could say otherwise, but Sam is right,” Tucker, like the good friend that he was, grinned at his pain. “You should’ve seen it from where we were standing. Lying on a blanket under the stars, talking about your _dreams_. It was straight out of a movie.”

“Tucker!”

“Danny, as much as I hate to agree with techno-geek over here-” Sam started.

“Hey!”

“He’s right. It was sickeningly sweet, and I’m pretty sure I wanted to barf.”

“Sam,” Danny whined. “You’re supposed to be with me, not against me!”

“I will be, as soon as you stop swimming in denial,” she commented nonchalantly.

“Denial? What is there to deny here?” He dodged.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Tucker intercepted. “How about the big fat crush you have on Phantom?”

In a matter of seconds, Danny’s face was burning a bright red. He opened his mouth to argue, but his friends beat him to it.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ve _never_ spent hours staring at him in class.”

“And you would _never_ doodle his face in your notebook.”

“Nor would you go on a tangent about his _white hair like freshly fallen snow_ and _eyes so green, they put grass to shame_.”

“Oh, and let’s not forget the fact that you would _never_ stare at his lips with _total_ heart eyes.”

The jabs kept coming, and with every addition, Danny sank further and further down his chair, his hands covering his flustered face. He wanted to deny everything they were saying, but each and every line brought up a memory of him doing exactly that. He was fighting a losing battle.

Danny groaned, wanting nothing more than to be one with the ground. “Fine, so I _might_ have a _small_ crush on him, but that doesn’t mean it was a date!”

“Oh really?” Sam raised a brow. “Then I don’t suppose you know why Phantom looked so disappointed when he saw us with you?”

“Huh?”

“Or did you completely miss the way he was waiting for you like a nervous school girl last Tuesday?”

“ _Huh?_ ”

“Sam, I think you broke him,” Tucker intelligently pointed out, which definitely wasn’t obvious with the way Danny’s face froze as his eyes became the size of dinner plates. With a sigh, Tucker pinched him.

That snapped him back to reality. His face shifted through multiple emotions, but his eyes were still wide, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Sam, don’t be ridiculous,” Danny laughed weakly. “You must’ve been seeing things-”

“ _Or_ she has a point. Danny, as per the dude-code, it’s my job to tell you nothing but the truth, and Phantom was definitely giving you puppy eyes when he was leaving yesterday.” Tucker placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “You both have it _bad_.”

“But- it’s _Phantom_ , why would he like me?” he pressed. “It’s bad for his name, he would never-”

“Danny, you and I both know Phantom is nothing like the rest of the shallow jocks at this school. It’s why everyone loves him,” Sam said pointedly. “Besides, if he didn’t like you, why would he go to _you_ for help with his homework? Why would he accept your invitation? Why would he tell you about his dreams?”

All of these were very strong points, but Danny wasn’t exactly known for his self-confidence, and his insecurity pretty much overruled all of the above.

“I-I don’t know,” Danny sighed. “I don’t wanna get my hopes up only to have them crash and burn.”

“They won’t,” Tucker reassured.

“Alright,” he relented. “I’ll keep an open mind about this, but that doesn’t mean I’m just accepting this!”

Sam groaned good-naturally. “You’ll seriously be the death of me, Danny. Fine, keep up that illusion, but if it turns out we’re right, we are _so_ getting bragging rights.”

Danny grinned. “You’re on.”

* * *

As much a Danny tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about what Sam and Tucker said. The logical part of him wholeheartedly agreed, saying that the evidence was compelling, but his terrified uncertain heart whispered concerns and insecurities. He didn’t know what to believe.

He wanted to believe in the vision of Phantom smiling at the starry sky, his green eyes sparkling like precious gems no man could get their hands on, in the vision of Phantom giving him a look filled with raw emotion as he waved goodbye. He wanted to believe in the memory of Phantom letting him rest his head on his shoulder, their fingers brushing slightly.

He wanted to, but he was scared that, like an illusion, it would shatter before his eyes.

With a resigned sight, Danny opened his locker. He gathered his books, and just before he was done, his eyes landed on a poster taped to the back of his locker. It was another one of his NASA posters, but he kept it here because it sent a rush of encouragement through his veins. It reminded him every day, ‘ _you will reach the stars’_.

Against his will, the image a boy crying hysterically in front of a burning house as firemen rushed around him flashed through his head. He could’ve sworn he could hear the sirens ringing in his ears, smell the smoke as created an ominous cloud in the sky.

Phantom had lost his best friend that day, and he still found it in him to smile at Danny, like it was nothing but a memory now. He found dreams in the ashes of his trauma and turned the trauma into strength, drive, _hope_.

Danny’s heart beat with more than just pity that night. In the face of Phantom’s shining hope, his heart was a helpless captive to his raw beauty.

Why _did_ Phantom tell him all that? When Danny had started talking, it was like a flow of water that couldn’t be dammed, he had to let it go because something deep inside compelled him to speak his mind, to bare his soul. Did Phantom feel the same thing? Was that why?

Danny shook his head. He needed to stop these thoughts before they spiraled out of control and right into forbidden territory (of both kinds).

Just as he was about to close his locker, another hand slammed it for him.

Danny jumped, turning to his eyes to none other than pretty girl official, Paulina Sanchez. There was a dangerous look in her eyes, and Danny’s already frail heart shuddered. What could she possibly want with him?

“H-Hey, Paulina.”

“Listen, _loser_ ,” she ignored his greeting. “Because I’m only gonna say this once.”

Danny nodded quickly, wanting to get this over with.

“Stay away from my Phantom,” Paulina glared. “I know he’s amazing, but he’s _mine_. If I ever see you near him again, you’re _over_ , you hear that, Fenton?”

_“He’s mine.”_

He… what? Phantom hadn’t mentioned anything about Paulina. In fact, he’s never seen around her.

“What makes you think he’d hang around a loser like me?” Danny sweated.

“I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t _care_ ,” she spat. “But all he talks about is you, and I’m sick of it. Everyone knows he’s way out of your league, so don’t even _try_ with him, or I will _end_ you.”

With a ‘hmph’, she turned and walked away, leaving behind a dumbfounded Danny. In his shock, he had to place a hand on his locker to keep himself up.

Phantom… talks about him?

There was an unbound joy in his heart, but it all came to a freezing halt when he remembered what she said. The threat didn’t concern him much, mainly because Paulina was known for her “all bark, no bite” attitude. No, that wasn’t what hit him.

_“Everyone knows he’s way out of your league.”_

Right. What the hell was he thinking? Phantom could never stoop so low as to date a _loser_ like him, how could he ever delusion himself into thinking otherwise. They were on totally different levels. Phantom was at the top of the chain, and Danny was lower than the dirt he walked on. The odds of Phantom liking Danny were zero to none, forget slim.

He barely felt the wet laugh that escaped him.

For a moment there, he actually thought he had a chance with Phantom. What an idiot. What an astronomical _idiot_.

His heart stepped on, Danny trudged to his next class, never noticing the pair of green eyes staring after him.

* * *

Danny’s mood remained down for the rest of the school day, and Sam and Tucker took notice immediately. They tried to cheer him up in their own way, but he shut them down with a quick “I’m just tired.

They took that as a cue to drop the subject and avoided the topic for the rest of the day. He’d be fine tomorrow, anyway, right?

Except he was in the same depressed mood the next day, and the day after that. Sam, tired of his behavior, pushed for answers on the fourth day. And while they’d expected a lot of things, they did not expect the issue to be the very thing he was daydreaming about just a few days ago.

Did Phantom say something to you? No.

Did he hurt you? No.

Did he break up with you? _Wack!_

All they knew was that suddenly, Danny’s crush was the very thing crushing him. He often sent sad gazes in Phantom’s direction, and it wasn’t exactly hard to notice the waver in his step when he saw Phantom laughing with his friends.

It was especially obvious when Danny started _avoiding_ him. Ignoring him whenever he called out his name, sitting farther away from him in astronomy, purposefully avoiding eye contact when they happened to see each other by their lockers.

Finally, Sam snapped.

A woman on a mission, Sam stomped up to Phantom’s group. With a tight grab at his arms (Phantom had to hide a wince), She ground out, “Excuse me, I need to borrow your friend here.”

She didn’t wait for an answer before she dragged him away.

She pushed him into the nearest janitor’s closet, closing the door behind them. With a scowl on her face and her arms crossed, she ordered, “Alright, spill. What the hell did you do to Danny?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb, Phantom! I know you did something to him, it’s clear as day that he’s avoiding you! So, _spill_.”

“Sam, I swear I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Phantom replied indignantly. “You know I would never hurt him!”

“Then why is he avoiding you like the plague?” She narrowed her eyes.

He faltered at that. Phantom had noticed on the first day, but he’d written it off Danny being nervous or shy. Now, four days into the avoidance, he knew it was more than that. He wanted to get to the bottom of it, but Danny kept running away from him, and it aggravated him to no end.

Had he come off too strongly during the meteor shower? Phantom couldn’t help but think it was his fault even when he didn’t know _what_ to pin this on.

Or who…

Sam noticed the moment realization dawned on him. “What? Do you know something?”

“I might. A few days ago, the day it started, I saw Danny by his locker. It looked like Paulina was walking away from him, and there was no one else in the area for him to look so distressed about. What if she said something to him?” Phantom theorized.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, it’s Paulina!” he huffed. “Anything she says is bad news.”

“True,” she sighed. “Are you sure you didn’t say something?”

“No, I swear! The last time we talked was the meteor shower.” Because he was a coward and was too scared to confront him right after such an intimate moment, and then he started avoiding him.

“Alright,” she conceded. “I’m sorry, it’s just…Tuck and I can’t find out what caused this change in behavior.”

“So you figured it was me since I’m the only person he interacted with outside of you guys?”

“Something like that.”

Her lips twitched, like she was in on a joke that he didn’t know about. He would ask, but there were bigger things to deal with.

“I’ll try to ask Paulina,” he said. “Hopefully she can tell me what she said to him.”

“What good would that do? It’s not like we can undo the damage,” Sam frowned.

“Because I’ll _make_ it right.”

He was surprised by the strong conviction he spoke with, and Sam seemed to be too, judging by the surprised look on her face. Even more surprising was when her expression fell into a small smile, the kind she’d only ever send Danny. It was gone as quickly as it came.

“Ya know, you’re not half bad, Phantom,” she teased.

Before he could question her further, she was walking out the door, leaving Phantom to stew in his confusion under the cheap light of the closet. Seconds ticked by before he realized…

“Wait… did she just give me her approval?”

* * *

While the rest of his friends joked about closets and Manson and Phantom, Kwan simply stared after their retreating figures with a thoughtful frown. He figured it had something to do with Fenton’s depressed mood as of late, so he didn’t question it.

In fact, he was glad someone was finally stepping up to straighten out this mess. With Fenton avoiding Phantom all of a sudden, Phantom hasn’t exactly been a happy camper. He didn’t show it as much as Fenton, but he was definitely affected by the avoidances.

It was annoying enough when he had to deal with a pining Phantom, and now he had to deal with a _sad_ pining Phantom? No way was he gonna let this go on.

If anyone could cheer up Phantom, it was the very reason he was down the drains. Kwan nodded to himself. He knew what he had to do.

Bidding his friends goodbye, Kwan began his search for Fenton.

He spent most of lunch looking for him (nerds were awfully good at making themselves scarce…), but he finally found him, with ten minutes to spare, outside on a bench behind the school, chatting with Foley.

Trying to seem as harmless as possible, he slumped his shoulders. He knew his build could be a little intimidating, so relaxing his body could make himself seem nicer. Not that he wasn’t, but jocks just naturally have a nasty reputation.

“Hey, Fenton!” He called out.

Fenton jumped in surprise. He turned to look at him, and his eyes widened a little. “H-Hey, Kwan.”

Foley was looking pretty annoyed, but Kwan ignored him. “Look, I need a favor, and I’m hoping you can help me because you’re the only person that can.” If Dash were saying this, it would sound like the beginning of a beating, but Kwan has been around enough nerds to know how to speak with them.

Fenton furrowed his brow confusedly, and Kwan swore he can hear Phantom’s voice as it commented on how cute the action was. “What is it?’

“It’s about Phantom.”

Taking note of Fenton’s flinch, Kwan pressed on, “I know you’ve been avoiding him lately, but he’s been growing mushrooms with how depressed he is about that.”

Foley snickered into his hands. “I _told_ you!”

Fenton ignored him. “What makes you think I can help?”

“You don’t spend hours on end with him. Trust me, you’ll do wonders. Anyway, you _need_ to come to the game tonight.” Kwan was aware of how desperate that sounded, but Phantom’s behavior has been concerning him. He wants to end this useless drama and go back to _sappy_ pining Phantom.

“But I don’t even _like_ football,” Fenton argued, though he could tell the guilt was eating at him. He was more observant than people knew.

“But you like Phantom,” He pointed out.

As expected, a light pink dusted his cheeks. “How do you know that?”

“That doesn’t matter. Now, you coming or not?”

Fenton mumbled something under his breath. “Wouldn’t me cheering him on ruin his image or something?”

Ah, there was the issue. Fenton actually believed Phantom gave a damn about his reputation? Now _that_ was funny. “Please, if Phantom actually gave a shit about his reputation, he wouldn’t have done _a lot_ of things.”

Kwan gave him a pointed look, and Fenton looked away. He knew Fenton knew what he meant.

“Fenton, please,” he sighed. “I promise, he’ll be overjoyed if he sees you cheering him on.”

Fenton lifted his head, an emotion passing through his eyes. “You think so?”

“What have I been saying for the last minute?” He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, I said my piece. See you at the game!”

He didn’t wait for a response because he knew what Fenton would say. That look in his eyes… that wasn’t the look of someone who’s given up.

Honestly, he shook his head. Those idiots would definitely be the death of him.

Taking out his phone, he began texting.

* * *

Phantom marched up to his friends, his thoughts running a mile a minute. It was extremely relieving to know that he hadn’t scared Danny away somehow, but there was still bubbling anger rising in his chest, and it boiled over as soon as he caught sight of Paulina.

She wasn’t even one of his friends, what was she doing here?

“Paulina,” Phantom started, trying to keep his cool. “What the hell did you say to Danny?”

“What are you talking about?” she scoffed.

“You said something to him, and now he’s avoiding me. What _did you say?_ ”

His friends inched away from him, sensing the bubbling anger in his veins. It was no good to stand in the way of an angry Phantom. Paulina, of course, didn’t seem to know that as she simply rolled her eyes at him. “Oh, you mean that loser? I just reminded him of his place.”

“What?”

“You know,” she drawled. “He’s been getting cocky, trying to get close to you, so I did you a favor and warned him off. Wouldn’t want your reputation to be damaged by that _dirt_.”

He could feel a growl building in his throat, and his fists were clenched so tightly, he almost broke skin. “Who the hell gave you the right to do that?”

“Uh, honey, as your future girlfriend, it’s my _job_ to preserve your reputation. You’re welcome, by the way.”

Phantom heaved a deep sigh. “I’m only going to say this once, Paulina, so listen carefully. Don’t you _ever_ go near Danny again. You might have this fucked up fantasy that I’m your prince charming, but in order for that to happen, you’d have to be a princess, and that is everything you are _not_. I’d much rather spend time with Danny, someone who actually gives a damn about _me_ and not my reputation, than _you_ , who’s as shallow as they fucking get.”

Paulina’s expression turned angry and indignant. Her voice rising in pitch, she argued, “Oh yeah? Then why is he avoiding you if he doesn’t care about your _reputation_?”

While there was a bitter part of him that wanted to agree, logic, memory, and his heart said otherwise. Danny doesn’t care about his reputation, he cares about _Phantom_ , which means he’s only avoiding him because he thinks Phantom will be hurt if his reputation falls. Which is a laughable idea, but he digresses.

“Unlike _you_ ,” he bit out, “He’s doing this because he thinks it’ll hurt _me_. In fact, I bet you’d drop me the moment my reputation isn’t up to your standards.”

Paulina opened her mouth to argue, but Kwan stepped in (when did he get back?) to interrupt her. “He’s right. Isn’t that exactly what you did to Valerie when she dated Foley, or is your memory as shallow as your personality?”

“I am trying to help you, and _this_ is how you repay me?” she screeched.

“If this is your definition of help, you can take it somewhere else,” Phantom glared. “And just to make things clear to your disillusioned head: consider yourself _dumped_.”

Then, no longer sparing her a single glance, Phantom turned his back on her and walked away.

When they were far enough, Kwan spoke up. “Man, that was brutal. I almost feel bad for her.”

“She had it coming, Kwan,” he sighed, suddenly feeling very drained. “She’s been bullying people for years. She’s no Dash, but words can hurt just as much as fists. Besides, I never said we were dating. I have literally _never_ spoken to her outside of football games and class projects.”

Kwan placed a hand on his shoulder, and the tension bled out. “Calm down. You’ve worked up a storm, just take a moment to chill. You said your piece, and that’s all that matters.”

Phantom nodded. “Sorry about that, I just…”

“I get it,” Kwan smiled. “She insulted someone important to you and almost drove them away from you. I’d be pissed, too.”

“Yeah… wait, almost?”

“What do you think I was doing while you two were having a screech fest?”

“Oh, no. Please don’t tell me-”

“I totally did,” He grinned unashamedly.

“You invited him to the game?” He yelped. “What were you thinking? You know I lose focus when he’s involved! I’m totally gonna flop now!”

“ _Or_ this is your big chance to flaunt your skills in front of your crush. I managed to convince Fenton to come to the game and cleared the air a little, so now all you gotta do is charm him with your athletic grace and sweep him right off his feet,” Kwan laughed at Phantom’s dumbfounded expression.

“You ‘cleared the air’? What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?”

“Nothing you need to worry about, buddy.”

Phantom grumbled. “Why am I friends with you?”

“You’ll get over it when Fenton’s kissing you. You’re welcome.”

He dodged the swipe at his head, but not the kick at his shins.

* * *

“I can’t do this.”

“You totally can.”

“Easy for you to say, Tuck,” Danny frowned over at his friend, who was standing with him outside the school. “You’re not the one that’s literally about to make a laughing stock out of Phantom _and_ me.”

“Hey, nobody said you have to cheer,” Tucker grinned. “That’s the cheerleaders’ job. All you gotta do is sit there and look pretty for Phantom.”

Danny blushed. “Can you _not_?”

“Tucker, cut it out,” Sam cut in. “We’re supposed to be helping him, not teasing him.”

“Sorry, it’s hard to resist. Speaking of, you’re certainly more upbeat. Did Kwan really get to you?”

“I guess,” Danny glanced down. “I figured if Phantom’s best friend can easily say I’ll cheer up Phantom, then it’s got to be the truth, right?”

Sam nodded. “If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that Kwan and Phantom are like diamonds in a rough. You don’t find jocks like that just anywhere.”

“How would _you_ know?” Tucker narrowed his eyes at her. “And by the way, you never did tell us where you disappeared to during lunch today!”

“That’s for me to know and you to endlessly wonder agonize over,” Sam laughed. “Now, let’s get this show on the road!”

Danny has been worrying over this all day long, but the reality of the situation never really hit him until he was standing next to bleachers under the bright glaring lights of the stadium. He gulped, suddenly wanting to get out of here, but he held his ground. He wasn’t doing this for himself, he was doing this for _Phantom_.

This was the first step to rebuilding whatever it was he had with Phantom. By showing Phantom his support, he’d be telling Phantom… what, exactly? That he still wanted to hang out? That he was sorry for avoiding him?

Kwan wasn’t as clear on that part, but if he said this would work, then he would try his best. Maybe after this, they can start hanging out again. He wasn’t sure what came after that, but all he knew was that he wanted things to go back to normal. They could even talk about that moment under the stars last week.

Why was he even thinking of it? He was probably overthinking this, but, looking back on it, that moment had felt so intimate, so _surreal_. His heart has been whispering things to him since then, saying _there’s so much more beneath the surface._

He just… had to take the initiative this time. Which was very terrifying, by the way.

He blinked out of his daze when he felt Sam dragging him towards a bench, Tucker not far behind. To his embarrassment, Sam chose the seats at the very forefront of the bleachers. She so did that on purpose, he groaned internally.

Danny fidgeted in his seat, suddenly feeling like every gaze in sight was on him, which was a ridiculous notion. But they were so close to the field, just one glance upwards and someone could make eye contact with him.

The sound of cheering marked the appearance of the players as they entered the field one by one, each looking larger and more menacing than the one before them. Danny’s eyes scanned for Phantom, and they immediately landed on the shortest player among all the giants. He quickly looked away.

Another look around and he saw that the cheerleaders were forming as well. When his eyes fell on the girl in the front who was probably the captain, she turned around just in time for him to realize that it was _Paulina_ , and she was not looking happy to see him if her glare was anything to go by.

He shrunk further into his seat.

The sound a whistle echoed in the field, bringing everyone’s attention back to the center. The team was already in position. Danny couldn’t help the small spark of disappointment that Phantom hadn’t noticed him.

(Had he kept his eyes on Phantom, he would have seen the way his eyes went wide and his cheeks flushed red as soon as Phantom’s searching gaze fell on him.)

(He would have also heard the way Kwan laughed loudly at his reaction.)

The game began.

Danny knew close to nothing about football, but he’s seen a few matches with his dad, so he knew some of the bare basics, like the scoring numbers and touchdowns, but other than that he was entirely lost throughout the entire thing.

But that didn’t mean his eyes left Phantom. In fact, Phantom was _all_ he could look at. He was running across the field at speeds that shouldn’t be possible for a human, dodging players left and right with all the grace of a dancer. He passed the ball to Kwan, and a moment later the crowd was roaring. Danny guessed that meant Kwan had scored, but he wasn’t exactly focusing on him right now.

Danny tried to keep track of the game, but his confusion got the better of him, not to mention the way the crowd’s screaming made everything feel and sound blurry, like in a dream where nothing looks clear and everything is hazy. He didn’t jump with the crowd, but he did find himself smiling every time a score came.

There was a hush over the crowd now, and Danny knew from his dad’s TV sessions that this meant it was crunch time, the now or never of the game. Unconsciously, he leaned forward, his eyes never leaving Phantom’s panting figure.

He can do this, he chanted to himself.

The ball was flying, the players were running-

And Phantom grabbed the ball, sprinting across the field like a cheetah on a hunt. He made his way through his opponents, almost getting tackled by one of them, but he went on and on and on-

And slammed the ball to the ground.

Touchdown.

The crowd went crazy, and before Danny could stop himself, he was jumping up and screaming Phantom’s name, his hands high in the air, his entire body buzzing with excitement and adrenaline.

He barely heard the way Sam and Tucker were laughing at his reaction, but he didn’t pay attention to them. Right across the field, green eyes snapped up in surprise, searching the crowd for… something.

Then Phantom was lifted onto his teammates' shoulders, their chanting heard by everyone as they joined in the chanting.

Danny joined them, loudly cheering. Phantom’s ears heard the distinct sound of something familiar, something he could hear from miles away, and his green eyes finally landed on the sparkling blue, so bright and distinguishable amongst his peers. A breathless gasp escaped Phantom when he saw the way Danny was smiling and cheering, the way he was _cheering his name_.

Danny never stopped smiling, even when their eyes connected. For once, he never looked away, the adrenaline sending him into an all-time high. He felt weightless, and he swore he could fly when Phantom suddenly laughed so _happily_ just at the sight of him.

For a dangerous moment, his heart skipped a beat.

Before Danny could stop himself, he was running out of his seat. Sam and Tucker called out his name, but he didn’t hear them over the roaring in his ears. If Danny were to recount this moment to anyone, he would simply describe as a rush, a scene right out of a hazy, out-of-focus dream.

Because in a matter of seconds, Phantom was also running toward…Danny? He barely had time to comprehend the situation before Phantom was right in front of him, the air crackling around them-

And he was being kissed.

The crowd went silent, and his entire body was buzzing, his nerves _singing_ , his eyes closing (when did he close them?), and his lips tingling. He barely felt Phantom’s arms as they wrapped around his waist, pulling him impossibly closer.

The longer they kissed, the more his body calmed down. Everything slowed as he opened his eyes again, his eyes immediately landing on Phantom’s. His breath hitched at the sight of the wide unbidden smile on Phantom’s glowing face.

“You actually came,” Phantom laughed. “I can’t believe it, you _actually came_!”

Danny couldn’t help the giggle that escaped him. “Of course, I did. Can’t have Paulina try something with me not looking.”

Phantom smiled helplessly. “I think she knows where she stands now.”

He felt a spark of smug joy in his chest. He wanted to brag in Paulina’s face about how Phantom was _not_ , in fact, hers. He wanted to-

Wait…

***WARNING***

Dread pooling in his gut, Danny whispered, “Tell me nobody saw that.”

Phantom's smile slipped into a confused frown. “What do you-?”

And at once, they realized. The _entire crowd_ was watching them.

Danny pulled away from Phantom, gasping loudly. His breathing shallow, he could suddenly feel the weight of every single eye on them, on _him_. Everyone had seen him _kiss the fucking quarterback_.

All at once, the sound poured back in. The murmurs, the whispers, the _giggles_ , it all crashed into him like a hurricane, blowing away all his joy and replacing it with dread and fear and shame-

Something was pulling him in the direction of the exit, and Danny followed like an unstrung puppet, unable to put enough energy into his movement.

“-nny? Danny! Stay with me, Danny!” a voice begged desperately. Trying to blink past the blur in his eyes, Danny focused his sight onto brilliant glowing green. His lips were moving, but Danny couldn’t hear it well, like there was cotton in his ears, making everything hazy and dizzying.

And then, everything vanished as he felt the sudden weight of lips against his, the touch so soft and gentle against everything else in his mind and heart-

His heart… that was calming down.

***END WARNING***

His thoughts halting, his heart slowing, his breathing returning, and all he could focus on was the way Phantom was trying to smile at him, trying to bring him back to earth. Pulling him from his hazy dream, nightmare, illusion.

Danny blinked as he finally grasped his new surroundings. They were in a locker room of sorts. Trying to take it all in, Danny inhaled and exhaled deeply.

“What…happened?”

Phantom looked pained. “I’m not sure, but I think that might’ve been a panic attack.”

“But I’ve never had one of those,” Danny frowned. “How did I-”

“Anyone can get a panic attack, Danny,” Phantom said, his voice soft. “But everyone has different triggers. And… and I triggered this. I’m so sorry, Danny. If I had known everyone would see us-”

Danny exhaled again. “I-It’s fine, you didn’t mean to. Hell, _I_ didn’t know this would happen.”

“Still, I should’ve known better than to kiss you in front of everyone like that,” he clenched his jaw, looking away from Danny’s deep blue gaze. He couldn’t handle looking into them, not after he’d caused such a horrible breakdown.

God, all he wanted was to tell Danny how happy he was to see him, and he’d given him a _panic attack_. Why can’t he do anything right? Maybe Danny was right to avoid him.

“Hey, stop that!”

There was a light tap against his cheek, a mockery of a slap, and Phantom looked up in surprise. It didn’t sting, it _tingled_.

“Danny,” he breathed. “I’m sorry. I ruined everything, I’m _sorry_.”

“I said _stop that_ ,” Danny groaned. His other hand found its way to his face, and together they squished Phantom’s cheeks as he forced Phantom to look him in the eye. “Stop blaming yourself. We _both_ spaced out. _Both of us_ acted in the spur of the moment. This isn’t your fault, got it?”

Danny attempted to look stern, but his heart wasn’t in it, not with the way Phantom was looking at him like he was something unearthly, something precious.

“I can’t believe you’re the one doing the comforting when you’re the one that just broke down,” Phantom laughed as best he could with his squished face. Danny took notice and immediately dropped his hands, making move to pull them against his chest, but he was stopped by Phantom’s hands reaching out and grabbing his hands in a tender grasp.

Danny’s face flushed at the gentle touch, and his heart threatened to implode any second now. God, how could Phantom do so much to him without even trying?

He swallowed. “Why… Why did you kiss me?”

“Well, I didn’t know what to do, and I once watched a show where a girl calmed down a boy by kissing him-”

“No, not that,” Danny cut in. “I meant before that.”

“Oh,” Phantom’s face flushed a pretty pink, and Danny almost smiled at that. “Well, I… I was just so happy to see you, I was overwhelmed by all these _feelings_ , so I did the first thing my body wanted me to.”

“You…you just wanted to kiss me? Just like that?”

“I’ve always wanted to kiss you,” He confessed. “I just finally acted on it.”

_Oh._

Phantom wanted to kiss him. Before today. Phantom wanted to kiss him?

 _Phantom wanted to kiss him_.

Now his heart was definitely in danger of stopping. His breath hitched in his chest, but this time it sent a pleasant buzz through his veins, making his every nerve in his body dance. Phantom’s hands suddenly felt like a furnace, sending a tingly feeling into his hands, through his blood, and up his spine.

Danny did the first thing that came to mind. He laughed.

He laughed loud and joyful, almost verging on hysterical. Phantom’s worried look melted away when he saw the mirth in Danny’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but join him in his laughter.

This was all so insane.

One moment he’s higher than the stars, then he’s crashing down below the dirt, and now he’s flying freely through a clear blue sky.

Because this meant-

“You like me,” Danny gasped out through his final laugh. “You… You like me back! All this time I’ve spent avoiding you because I didn’t want to ruin your image, and _you like me back!_ ”

Phantom grinned, “I guess we’ve both been pretty stupid lately.”

Wait.

“You like me back?” Phantom gaped at him.

“Yes, you idiot!” Danny grinned.

“Oh my god,” Phantom breathed. “ _Oh my god_!”

In a surge of emotion, Danny was suddenly off the ground, and, oh, everything is spinning-

Phantom spun him around giddily, his green eyes sparkling and his mouth stretching into a wide beautiful smile as laughter spilled freely from his lips.

When he finally put him down, they were both panting, trying to regain their breath. Their grins never left their lips, however, as they pressed their foreheads together.

“This has to be a dream,” Phantom remarked breathlessly. “Tell me this is real.”

“This is real,” Danny smiled. “And so is this.”

Leaning up ever so slightly to reach Phantom’s lips, Danny pressed their lips together in a touch so tender, so raw and pure, it made his heart tremble.

Their souls bared to the other, they kissed and kissed and kissed until their lips were numb and their nerves were on fire, and even then, they never stopped smiling, giggling helplessly to themselves like a bunch of giddy children.

Because after all the highs and lows of what felt like a year, they were finally in the sky, shining brighter than any other star around them.

* * *

The sound of murmurs and whispers followed them to school the next day, and they were the first thing Danny heard as soon as he entered through the front gates.

Blocking them out, Danny walked to his locker, smiling when he saw Phantom was already there.

“Hey, you,” Danny grinned.

“Hey,” Phantom smiled not unlike a lovesick puppy.

Over in the corner, Kwan was groaning like the couple physically pained him. Sam gave him a questioning look, at which he said, “We’re right back to square one: lovesick puppy eyes.”

Sam laughed. “I suppose, but some things _have_ changed.”

Like the way Danny leaned up to place a chaste kiss on his boyfriend’s lips, and the way Phantom eagerly leaned into it, his arms begging to wrap around Danny and deepen the kiss, only for Danny to dance away with a giggle.

“I don’t think so, mister,” he laughed. “It’s time for class.”

Phantom groaned, but the smile never left his lips. He reached out a hand, and Danny immediately grabbed it, their hands connecting like perfect puzzle pieces.

As they walked away, Sam stared after them. Her eyes found Danny’s back, and she couldn’t stop the soft smile that came to her lips when she saw the black ‘ _Phantom_ ’ stitched across the back of the red and white jacket he was wearing.

Sam shared a sly grin with Kwan.

“So, plan Pitch Pearl was a success?”

“I’d say _definitely_.”

The duo high-fived, and then they vanished just as quickly, not a soul to realize the hands that played from the shadows.

**_The End._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUFFER WITH ME SUCKERS >:D
> 
> Also, a friendly reminder that my playlist is definitely psychic and I am terrified for my heart :))).


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